Testudinata

Testudinata is the group of all tetrapods with a true turtle shell. It includes both modern turtles (Testudines) and many of their extinct, shelled relatives (stem-turtles). This excludes Pappochelys, Eorhynchochelys, and Odontochelys, which are placed in earlier-diverging positions within the more inclusive clade Pantestudines.

Testudinata

Tomasz Szczygielski, Dawid Dróżdż, Phornphen Chanthasit, Sita Manitkoon, Pitaksit Ditbanjong · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
turtlePBDB
Sits inside
PantestudinesPBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB, for Osteichthyes
Environment
terrestrialPBDB, for Diapsida

Time the record covers

At least 246 million years on record.

The record covers at least 247 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 250.8 Mya to 0 Mya.

Permian — about 0 of 11105 occurrencesEarly Triassic — about 4 of 11105 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 1 of 11105 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 29 of 11105 occurrencesLate TriassicEarly Jurassic — about 47 of 11105 occurrencesEarly JurassicMiddle Jurassic — about 74 of 11105 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 400 of 11105 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 632 of 11105 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 3596 of 11105 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 709 of 11105 occurrencesEocene — about 1671 of 11105 occurrencesEoceneOligocene — about 360 of 11105 occurrencesMiocene — about 1822 of 11105 occurrencesPliocene — about 470 of 11105 occurrencesPleistocene — about 1100 of 11105 occurrences256–247 Mya — about 3 occurrences247–239 Mya — about 2 occurrences239–230 Mya — about 0.5 occurrences230–222 Mya — about 6 occurrences222–213 Mya — about 9 occurrences213–205 Mya — about 9 occurrences205–196 Mya — about 22 occurrences196–188 Mya — about 16 occurrences188–179 Mya — about 9 occurrences179–171 Mya — about 8 occurrences171–162 Mya — about 67 occurrences162–153 Mya — about 61 occurrences153–145 Mya — about 299 occurrences145–136 Mya — about 128 occurrences136–128 Mya — about 72 occurrences128–119 Mya — about 180 occurrences119–111 Mya — about 164 occurrences111–102 Mya — about 104 occurrences102–94 Mya — about 298 occurrences94–85 Mya — about 188 occurrences85–77 Mya — about 961 occurrences77–68 Mya — about 1605 occurrences68–60 Mya — about 1078 occurrences60–51 Mya — about 641 occurrences51–43 Mya — about 648 occurrences43–34 Mya — about 572 occurrences34–26 Mya — about 279 occurrences26–17 Mya — about 506 occurrences17–8.5 Mya — about 1044 occurrences8.5–0 Mya — about 2126 occurrences247 Mya11.7 ka256 Mya0 Mya

11,105 occurrences of Testudinata on record, most of them in the Late Cretaceous. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

11,105 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

1305 formations

Hell Creek — 47.80°N, 106.10°WHell Creek — 47.68°N, 106.43°WHell Creek — 45.95°N, 103.96°WHell Creek — 46.10°N, 103.30°WHell Creek — 46.03°N, 103.77°WHell Creek — 46.18°N, 103.84°WHell Creek — 46.41°N, 103.94°WHell Creek — 46.38°N, 103.96°WHell Creek — 46.46°N, 104.02°WHell Creek — 46.33°N, 103.90°WHell Creek — 45.94°N, 103.95°WHell Creek — 45.53°N, 101.63°WHell Creek — 47.88°N, 106.20°WHell Creek — 47.55°N, 107.13°WHell Creek — 47.62°N, 107.32°WHell Creek — 45.85°N, 104.83°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.98°WHell Creek — 47.57°N, 107.10°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.40°WHell Creek — 47.58°N, 106.30°WHell Creek — 47.55°N, 107.25°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 106.43°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 107.18°WHell Creek — 47.07°N, 106.92°WHell Creek — 47.53°N, 106.88°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 107.23°WHell Creek — 46.90°N, 101.50°WHell Creek — 46.09°N, 100.63°WHell Creek — 47.61°N, 106.90°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 107.00°WHell Creek — 45.38°N, 105.30°WHell Creek — 46.33°N, 104.01°WHell Creek — 46.37°N, 104.08°WHell Creek — 46.38°N, 104.43°WHell Creek — 48.01°N, 106.45°WHell Creek — 47.52°N, 106.45°WHell Creek — 47.09°N, 104.70°WHell Creek — 46.70°N, 100.25°WHell Creek — 46.23°N, 104.23°WHell Creek — 47.34°N, 108.22°WHell Creek — 46.41°N, 103.50°WHell Creek — 46.24°N, 107.38°WHell Creek — 45.05°N, 101.97°WHell Creek — 47.70°N, 105.80°WHell Creek — 45.23°N, 103.21°WHell Creek — 47.27°N, 107.13°WHell Creek — 45.66°N, 105.08°WHell Creek — 45.89°N, 104.55°WHell Creek — 46.40°N, 103.42°WHell Creek — 46.30°N, 104.50°WHell Creek — 47.60°N, 106.20°WHell Creek — 45.50°N, 103.10°WHell Creek — 45.59°N, 103.50°WHell Creek — 45.95°N, 104.92°WHell Creek — 45.87°N, 103.79°WHell Creek — 45.00°N, 103.19°WHell Creek — 46.00°N, 103.19°WHell Creek — 47.72°N, 106.53°WKirtland — 36.27°N, 108.17°WKirtland — 36.34°N, 108.08°WKirtland — 36.10°N, 108.09°WKirtland — 36.50°N, 108.08°WKirtland — 36.22°N, 107.90°WKirtland — 36.33°N, 108.03°WKirtland — 36.36°N, 108.57°WKirtland — 36.30°N, 108.55°WKirtland — 36.20°N, 108.10°WKirtland — 36.29°N, 108.54°WKirtland — 36.17°N, 107.80°WKirtland — 36.10°N, 107.79°WKirtland — 36.51°N, 108.32°WDenver — 39.70°N, 104.70°WDenver — 38.80°N, 104.80°WDenver — 39.61°N, 105.02°WDenver — 39.91°N, 105.15°WDenver — 39.84°N, 105.04°WDenver — 39.95°N, 105.23°WDenver — 39.70°N, 105.20°WDenver — 39.75°N, 105.22°WDenver — 38.89°N, 104.60°WDenver — 39.30°N, 104.30°WDenver — 39.63°N, 104.33°WDenver — 39.50°N, 104.70°WDenver — 38.91°N, 104.53°WWillwood — 43.95°N, 107.57°WWillwood — 44.30°N, 109.00°WWillwood — 44.59°N, 108.86°WWillwood — 44.42°N, 108.69°WWillwood — 44.44°N, 108.63°WWillwood — 44.56°N, 108.70°WWillwood — 44.57°N, 108.60°WWillwood — 44.54°N, 108.65°WWillwood — 44.53°N, 108.43°WWillwood — 44.64°N, 108.53°WWillwood — 44.60°N, 108.32°WWillwood — 44.59°N, 108.41°WWillwood — 44.53°N, 108.32°WWillwood — 44.52°N, 108.57°WWillwood — 44.59°N, 108.78°WWillwood — 44.67°N, 108.73°WWillwood — 44.66°N, 108.78°WWillwood — 44.78°N, 108.97°WWillwood — 44.50°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 43.92°N, 107.58°WWillwood — 44.00°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 43.92°N, 108.66°WWillwood — 44.30°N, 108.07°WWillwood — 44.21°N, 108.48°WWillwood — 44.08°N, 108.22°WWillwood — 43.99°N, 107.72°WWillwood — 44.32°N, 108.76°WWillwood — 44.30°N, 108.20°WUinta — 40.10°N, 109.23°WUinta — 40.20°N, 109.90°WUinta — 40.07°N, 109.28°WUinta — 40.36°N, 109.67°WUinta — 40.37°N, 109.64°WUinta — 40.04°N, 109.28°WUinta — 39.97°N, 109.13°WUinta — 40.06°N, 109.62°WUinta — 40.04°N, 109.66°WUinta — 40.16°N, 109.32°WUinta — 40.15°N, 109.62°WUinta — 40.20°N, 110.44°WUinta — 40.15°N, 109.75°WLa Colonia — 43.01°S, 67.62°WLa Colonia — 42.94°S, 67.54°WLa Colonia — 42.97°S, 67.53°WLa Colonia — 42.71°S, 67.47°WLa Colonia — 42.99°S, 67.83°WLa Colonia — 43.10°S, 67.69°WLa Colonia — 43.16°S, 67.68°WBridger — 41.65°N, 110.92°WBridger — 42.37°N, 108.91°WBridger — 41.54°N, 109.80°WBridger — 41.13°N, 110.13°WBridger — 41.80°N, 110.70°WBridger — 41.28°N, 110.23°WBridger — 41.20°N, 110.50°WBridger — 41.60°N, 109.97°WBridger — 41.22°N, 109.72°WBridger — 41.32°N, 110.38°WBridger — 41.70°N, 109.00°WBridger — 41.77°N, 110.33°WBridger — 41.84°N, 110.20°WBridger — 41.07°N, 110.00°WBridger — 41.08°N, 110.30°WBridger — 41.20°N, 110.10°WBridger — 41.04°N, 110.23°WBridger — 41.28°N, 110.03°WBridger — 41.85°N, 109.78°WLance — 43.49°N, 104.46°WLance — 43.30°N, 104.37°WLance — 43.12°N, 104.64°WLance — 41.57°N, 108.67°WLance — 43.18°N, 104.53°WLance — 43.15°N, 104.57°WLance — 43.25°N, 104.65°WLance — 43.13°N, 104.49°WLance — 43.25°N, 104.52°WLance — 43.80°N, 104.62°WLance — 45.75°N, 101.20°WLance — 45.04°N, 108.80°WLance — 43.00°N, 104.50°WLance — 44.97°N, 110.67°WLance — 43.44°N, 104.41°WLance — 43.33°N, 104.60°WLance — 43.20°N, 104.66°WLance — 45.34°N, 103.72°WLance — 45.39°N, 103.70°WLance — 45.60°N, 103.63°WLance — 45.93°N, 103.92°WLance — 41.91°N, 104.20°WDinosaur Park — 50.73°N, 111.53°WDinosaur Park — 49.12°N, 110.47°WDinosaur Park — 50.82°N, 111.57°WDinosaur Park — 50.75°N, 111.48°WDinosaur Park — 50.75°N, 111.40°WDinosaur Park — 50.78°N, 111.33°WDinosaur Park — 49.30°N, 110.60°WDinosaur Park — 49.07°N, 110.45°WDinosaur Park — 50.72°N, 111.56°WDinosaur Park — 50.56°N, 111.46°WDinosaur Park — 50.68°N, 108.09°WKaiparowits — 37.45°N, 111.53°WKaiparowits — 37.47°N, 111.70°WKaiparowits — 37.42°N, 111.79°WKaiparowits — 37.75°N, 111.61°WKaiparowits — 37.58°N, 111.94°WKaiparowits — 37.72°N, 111.78°WKaiparowits — 37.49°N, 112.17°WKaiparowits — 37.62°N, 111.80°WKaiparowits — 37.46°N, 111.34°WKaiparowits — 37.30°N, 112.43°WKaiparowits — 37.84°N, 111.28°WKaiparowits — 37.82°N, 111.40°WKaiparowits — 37.53°N, 111.76°WMorrison — 40.42°N, 109.21°WMorrison — 41.91°N, 105.96°WMorrison — 38.54°N, 105.22°WMorrison — 41.88°N, 106.11°WMorrison — 39.65°N, 105.19°WMorrison — 41.88°N, 105.89°WMorrison — 41.99°N, 106.08°WMorrison — 41.97°N, 106.29°WMorrison — 38.58°N, 108.40°WMorrison — 40.53°N, 109.39°WMorrison — 44.18°N, 103.34°WMorrison — 44.46°N, 104.73°WMorrison — 40.44°N, 109.30°WMorrison — 38.81°N, 108.32°WMorrison — 39.15°N, 108.77°WMorrison — 38.32°N, 108.83°WMorrison — 39.17°N, 108.77°WMorrison — 39.24°N, 109.00°WMorrison — 45.54°N, 110.62°WMorrison — 36.92°N, 102.98°WMorrison — 42.16°N, 105.91°WMorrison — 42.04°N, 106.39°WMorrison — 40.50°N, 109.17°WMorrison — 44.02°N, 104.24°WMorrison — 39.32°N, 110.69°WMorrison — 35.20°N, 107.13°WMorrison — 39.06°N, 108.74°WMorrison — 44.05°N, 107.46°WMorrison — 42.02°N, 106.05°WMorrison — 38.45°N, 107.40°WMorrison — 40.46°N, 108.39°WMorrison — 43.62°N, 108.18°WMorrison — 37.77°N, 110.69°WMorrison — 39.01°N, 111.02°WMorrison — 44.25°N, 104.41°WMorrison — 40.30°N, 108.57°WSolimões — 9.97°S, 67.80°WSolimões — 10.13°S, 67.81°WSolimões — 8.78°S, 68.90°WSolimões — 8.82°S, 72.82°WSolimões — 9.05°S, 68.77°WSolimões — 7.76°S, 70.03°WSolimões — 8.35°S, 70.53°WSolimões — 9.03°S, 69.47°WSolimões — 9.95°S, 71.83°WSolimões — 9.86°S, 71.41°WSolimões — 9.12°S, 70.13°WSolimões — 9.37°S, 69.94°WSolimões — 9.45°S, 70.00°WSolimões — 8.79°S, 67.47°WSolimões — 7.72°S, 67.00°WSolimões — 9.27°S, 68.71°WSolimões — 9.40°S, 68.74°WSolimões — 9.95°S, 68.98°WSolimões — 10.97°S, 69.74°WSolimões — 10.95°S, 69.66°WSolimões — 10.96°S, 69.63°WSolimões — 10.94°S, 69.52°WSolimões — 10.93°S, 69.42°WSolimões — 10.94°S, 69.35°WSolimões — 10.27°S, 67.83°WSolimões — 8.18°S, 72.78°WSolimões — 8.98°S, 72.75°WSolimões — 9.13°S, 72.70°WSolimões — 9.20°S, 72.72°WSolimões — 9.39°S, 72.72°WSolimões — 8.29°S, 73.25°WSolimões — 8.67°S, 72.82°WSolimões — 8.86°S, 72.77°WSolimões — 8.97°S, 72.78°WSolimões — 9.28°S, 72.69°WSolimões — 8.82°S, 67.58°WSolimões — 10.98°S, 68.73°WSolimões — 9.13°S, 68.68°WSolimões — 8.87°S, 67.78°WSolimões — 8.96°S, 68.62°WSolimões — 7.85°S, 72.67°WSolimões — 6.50°S, 69.67°WNemegt — 43.54°N, 99.60°ENemegt — 43.44°N, 100.37°ENemegt — 47.73°N, 104.92°ENemegt — 43.00°N, 99.00°ENemegt — 44.07°N, 102.67°ENemegt — 43.87°N, 100.01°ENemegt — 43.85°N, 100.14°ENemegt — 43.47°N, 99.83°ENemegt — 43.60°N, 100.50°ENemegt — 43.50°N, 101.05°ENemegt — 43.82°N, 99.98°ENemegt — 43.48°N, 100.36°ENemegt — 43.48°N, 100.46°ENemegt — 46.82°N, 94.15°ENemegt — 43.49°N, 101.28°ENemegt — 43.54°N, 99.22°ENemegt — 44.44°N, 109.86°ENemegt — 43.58°N, 107.69°ENemegt — 43.86°N, 100.23°ENemegt — 43.32°N, 99.83°ENemegt — 43.99°N, 101.28°ENemegt — 43.72°N, 99.93°ENemegt — 43.52°N, 101.04°ENemegt — 43.47°N, 100.62°EFort Union — 44.91°N, 108.93°WFort Union — 44.72°N, 108.62°WFort Union — 44.68°N, 108.35°WFort Union — 44.67°N, 108.45°WFort Union — 43.85°N, 108.35°WFort Union — 44.30°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 46.05°N, 104.48°WFort Union — 45.80°N, 104.40°WFort Union — 46.43°N, 103.93°WFort Union — 44.88°N, 108.75°WFort Union — 41.30°N, 107.74°WFort Union — 45.22°N, 109.50°WFort Union — 46.10°N, 109.95°WFort Union — 45.20°N, 109.00°WFort Union — 46.33°N, 104.01°WFort Union — 47.60°N, 107.00°WFort Union — 47.70°N, 105.80°WFort Union — 47.80°N, 106.10°WFort Union — 45.40°N, 105.50°WFort Union — 45.90°N, 104.13°WFort Union — 41.60°N, 108.60°WFort Union — 39.27°N, 108.18°WFort Union — 39.20°N, 108.20°WFort Union — 39.10°N, 106.90°WFort Union — 46.23°N, 109.81°WFort Union — 46.90°N, 101.50°WAguja — 29.32°N, 103.52°WAguja — 29.20°N, 103.55°WAguja — 29.36°N, 103.52°WAguja — 29.29°N, 103.55°WAguja — 29.16°N, 103.16°WAguja — 29.51°N, 103.50°WFruitland — 36.29°N, 108.23°WFruitland — 36.49°N, 108.49°WFruitland — 36.27°N, 108.26°WFruitland — 36.99°N, 108.17°WFruitland — 36.60°N, 108.57°WFruitland — 36.10°N, 108.08°WFruitland — 36.27°N, 107.85°WFruitland — 36.11°N, 107.87°WFruitland — 36.29°N, 108.55°WFruitland — 36.12°N, 107.78°WFruitland — 36.31°N, 108.08°WFerris — 41.94°N, 106.88°WFerris — 41.80°N, 107.00°WFerris — 41.96°N, 106.89°WFerris — 42.16°N, 106.91°WFerris — 41.83°N, 106.62°WOldman — 50.75°N, 111.51°WOldman — 49.10°N, 110.94°WOldman — 49.08°N, 110.84°WOldman — 49.08°N, 110.68°WOldman — 49.16°N, 110.72°WOldman — 50.83°N, 111.32°WOldman — 49.30°N, 110.60°WOldman — 50.80°N, 111.62°WOldman — 50.72°N, 111.53°WOldman — 49.78°N, 113.32°WOldman — 50.73°N, 111.80°WBaynshire — 44.58°N, 109.44°EBaynshire — 43.14°N, 107.52°EBaynshire — 44.48°N, 110.03°EBaynshire — 44.45°N, 107.38°EBaynshire — 44.27°N, 109.91°EBaynshire — 44.18°N, 102.79°EBaynshire — 44.41°N, 109.84°EBaynshire — 43.50°N, 107.76°EBaynshire — 43.56°N, 107.91°EBaynshire — 44.46°N, 109.40°EBaynshire — 44.35°N, 109.35°EBaynshire — 43.94°N, 101.33°EBaynshire — 44.36°N, 109.35°EBaynshire — 43.47°N, 99.83°EBaynshire — 43.75°N, 109.63°EBaynshire — 43.46°N, 107.49°EBaynshire — 44.30°N, 109.20°ECloverly — 45.38°N, 108.24°WCloverly — 43.22°N, 107.57°WCloverly — 44.69°N, 108.24°WCloverly — 44.98°N, 108.32°WCloverly — 45.44°N, 108.14°WCloverly — 45.23°N, 108.81°WCloverly — 45.47°N, 108.12°WCloverly — 45.26°N, 108.41°WCloverly — 44.03°N, 107.51°WCloverly — 44.65°N, 107.88°WCloverly — 44.51°N, 107.90°WCloverly — 44.50°N, 107.82°WCloverly — 44.44°N, 109.06°WCloverly — 45.33°N, 108.81°WCloverly — 45.80°N, 109.80°WCloverly — 45.49°N, 108.73°WSalamanca — 45.50°S, 67.18°WSalamanca — 45.27°S, 66.97°WSalamanca — 45.34°S, 67.37°WSalamanca — 45.35°S, 67.37°WSalamanca — 45.25°S, 67.11°WSalamanca — 45.25°S, 67.07°WSalamanca — 45.42°S, 67.18°WSalamanca — 45.51°S, 67.26°WCalvert — 38.17°N, 76.87°WCalvert — 38.54°N, 76.73°WCalvert — 37.93°N, 77.51°WCalvert — 38.17°N, 76.85°WCalvert — 38.53°N, 76.52°WCalvert — 38.67°N, 76.53°WCalvert — 38.60°N, 76.51°WCalvert — 38.40°N, 76.50°WCalvert — 38.38°N, 76.99°WCalvert — 38.18°N, 76.97°WCalvert — 37.77°N, 77.28°WCalvert — 37.78°N, 77.52°WCalvert — 39.20°N, 75.60°WSan Jose — 35.70°N, 107.00°WSan Jose — 35.20°N, 106.60°WSan Jose — 36.50°N, 107.00°WSan Jose — 36.20°N, 107.67°WSan Jose — 36.14°N, 107.72°WReuchenette — 47.22°N, 7.55°EReuchenette — 47.42°N, 7.07°EReuchenette — 47.42°N, 7.02°EReuchenette — 47.34°N, 7.19°E

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The named rock units Testudinata has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 1,281 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 2,921 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Testudinata and its relatives

Late Cretaceous

Where Testudinata and its relatives were recorded in the Late Cretaceous.

Found in the same rock

3,209 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 1,022 sites for Testudinata, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

3,058 references

Each of the 11,105 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 3,046 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content1

Picture of Testudinata

Credit
Tomasz Szczygielski, Dawid Dróżdż, Phornphen Chanthasit, Sita Manitkoon, Pitaksit Ditbanjong
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

No 3D scan was found. Smithsonian Open Access, MorphoSource and Sketchfab were all searched.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

Everything alive alongside itPantestudines through timeFormations of the Late CretaceousThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Oppel 1811)